My name is Lisa Gold and I am an industry expert having over 10,000 hours of professional stage and on camera experience. I moved to New York in 1996 with my sites set on Broadway and somehow made a RIGHT turn into the networking, education and training biz. Seeking the ultimate flexible day job, my friend Tony Nation and I decided to buy a small mom and pop networking company called Actors Connection in 2000. Whew, we had no idea what we were in for but somehow have managed within a short few years to grow the studio into the #1 Networking/Educational facility it is today. I found out I love business and the creative aspect of owning and running one, and though it was something that took me by surprise, I must say that every day it lights me up and turns me on. Go figure.

I′m the daughter of a comedian father and a stay at home mom. Somehow I ended up being this loudish, funny, very outgoing singer, dancer, model, actress, waitress…and now a trainer and coach/consultant in the area of show business education for actors.

I attended North Carolina School of the Arts and also the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music before leaving to study acting and singing privately with several fabulous coaches and teachers in both LA and NY. My first professional gig was as a singer/dancer in “Hooray for Hollywood”, doing 5 shows a day, 6 days a week, at Carowinds theme park in Charlotte, NC when I was barely 16. To this day I’m surprised my parents let me go there for the entire summer on my own!

In the few short years since then (tee hee) I’ve also had the privilege of performing for Presidents, Astronauts (the 20th anniversary of the first lunar landing) and in a ton of musicals. One of the highlights of my acting career was the three months I spent working on the soap, All My Children, as I’ve been a fan almost since the beginning of the show…ok, now you know I’m a bit older than I may have earlier implied.

What I do these days

I created Act Outside the Box to empower actors who want to build a career, not just get a job. Even with many actors gaining representation, getting auditions and gigs through Actors Connection, I still saw this huge gap for many more. Since I had developed so many wonderful relationships with so many agents and casting directors over the years, I had the opportunity to really listen to what they were looking for, and needing from, actors. I heard time and time again that most just don’t realize that this is a business and that truthfully, talent just isn’t enough. Just like love I guess…which may be why I′m still single at my age, but I digress.

I began to study traditional marketing, then social media marketing, and with my own business background and skills, combined with what I learned over the years from these industry professionals, I created a business curriculum that delivers this very important information. This stuff isn’t taught in any school – I’m sorry, one class or a semester in college, taught by someone not currently in the biz, is totally insufficient to navigate the tricky waters of the business of show!

Why I do it

As a child my fondest desire was to be up there on that stage, accept my Emmy/Oscar/Tony/Grammy etc., and travel to exotic locations, walk the red carpet and go to fabulous parties. (You, too?) But after years as a performer, and then the years of listening and learning at AC, I realized I loved making an impact on a lot of lives, not just my own. I’m just a big softie, wanting to be a contribution to others and end the “starving artist” syndrome, that’s all. Now I dream about, talk about, and love working all aspects of Act Outside the Box. I enjoy most being up on my “new” stage and teaching the business to actors so that they (again, you) can have a real shot at attaining your dreams. Not the airy fairy stuff that is promised elsewhere…we all know those people and places abound, but to genuinely inspire folks to take ACTION to produce their own results. There really is no such thing as that mysterious “big break”. It’s hard work over time. There, mystery solved.

How to connect with me

I love to help actors start and build their careers, and I can help you too. I′ve created evening seminars, all day workshops, audio and video downloads, DVD’s, CD’s – you name it. There are so many ways for you to get the vital info you need, it might be hard to choose! You already know the SHOW, now you can learn the other half, the BUSINESS.

And for those that want a little more personal attention and would like to work with me privately, I have several coaching options available, from email programs and Skype consults, to one on one consults customized for individual attention. I also have a monthly group mentoring program that’s affordable and a combination of in-person meetings, teleseminars, and social networking events.

I can help you get from your great desire to be a working actor to having a fully functioning, income producing acting career in much less time that it would take you to figure it out on your own!

Looking forward to meeting you!

~ Lisa Gold